1
general::
Phrase(s): lay eyes on someone or something
Go to set eyes on someone or something.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Also, clap or set eyes on. Look at, see, as in As soon as I laid eyes on him I knew he would be perfect for the lead in our play, or I'd never set eyes on such a beautiful gown. The first term dates from the early 1200s and the third from the late 1300s; the second, using clap in the sense of "a sudden movement," dates from the first half of the 1800s.
American Heritage Idioms